Flatland
Flatland Staff
Stories by Flatland
Bryan Sheppard and the Heavily Redacted Elephant in the Courtroom
In 1997 Bryan Sheppard was sentenced to life without parole for the deaths of six Kansas City firefighters. Although he and the other four defendants have always maintained their innocence, they have lost all of their appeals and are considered guilty of the crime in the eyes of the U.S. judicial system. All five were…
Reveal | Trial By Fire
Listen to the podcast here: This podcast is from the Center for Investigative Reporting, which co-produces the “Reveal” radio show and podcast with PRX. “Reveal” features CIR’s reporting, as well as stories from public radio stations and a wide range of media partners, both nonprofit and commercial. For “Trial by Fire,” CIR relied on decades of reporting…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas City To Rethink Bike Plan Following Harsh Audit Kansas City will reassess its approach to accommodating cyclists, City Manager Troy Schulte told the city council Thursday. His announcement came in response to a new audit showing the city failing to achieve its goals of becoming more bike friendly. [FLEX-CONTENT] The audit concluded that the…
Take 5 For Your Health
Shelters Seek To Heal Trauma Of Domestic Violence With Aid Of Furry Friends Many pet owners expect to be able to bring their furry friends everywhere – to restaurants, to the grocery store, on planes – and now some want even more doors to open up. Increasing numbers of domestic violence shelters are accepting the…
Take 5 For Your Health
KDADS Policy Change Creates New Budget Worries for Youth Psychiatric Facilities Dana Schoffelman sees one way to keep serving Kansas children with serious mental health needs without going under financially: taking fewer of them and supplementing with out-of-state children. Schoffelman, executive director of Florence Crittenton Services in Topeka, has new financial concerns because of a…
Take 5 For Your Health
Dancing To Defeat Diabetes: Kansas City Doctor Aims To Reduce Disease’s Toll Most Tuesday mornings, the Palestine Senior Activity Center in Kansas City is a pretty quiet place. But recently, high schoolers, community workers and seniors crowded the parking lot. Lots of curious neighbors peeked from porches and through the gates to see what the…
Take 5 For Your Health
Douglas County, Kansas, Officials Say Jail Plan Will Help Inmates With Mental Health Issues The “special management” unit on the third floor of the Douglas County Jail is where county officials place inmates with medical needs, including mental illness. It’s next to the jail’s maximum security unit, separated by a single wall. Both units have…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Issues Request For Proposals To Privatize Osawatomie State Hospital Kansas is seeking a private partner to operate Osawatomie State Hospital under a proposal that would allow the contractor to shift more than half the hospital’s beds to other parts of eastern Kansas. A request for proposals to operate Osawatomie State Hospital was posted Nov….
Take 5 For Your Health
Water Task Force Leaning Toward Sales Tax Proposal A group appointed to study funding sources for Gov. Sam Brownback’s 50-year water plan is leaning toward proposing a dedicated sales tax. Earl Lewis, assistant director of the Kansas Water Office, presented the preliminary results of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Monday at the annual Kansas…
Making Sense of A Tragedy
The Rev. Kelly Isola is chair of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. The comments below were prepared for a vigil held days after the fatal shooting in Olathe. It is with a heavy heart that I stand with you today. The council is deeply disturbed and saddened by these violent acts. We offer our…